Christman Wins MRA Race Of The Rockies Championship At PPIR

Rob Christman Wins His First Race of the Rockies Overall Championship in the Final Round of the Motorcycle Roadracing Association’s 2013 Season

Congratulations to first time Overall Race of the Rockies Champion Rob Christman. Closing out Round 7 with a 2nd place finish, behind first time class winner Pete Tabor, Christman garnered his first Overall Race of the Rockies Championship at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado this past September 14th and 15th. In a race that started out dry, Tracy Schram lead the pack for a few laps, until the rain drops started to fall. The race was red flagged and held for over 45 minutes as a massive rain storm passed over the track. Due to hazardous flood conditions on the hot pit lane, the race was restarted with a single line start in racing order. As Schram again, led the race, Christman was close behind with Ricky Orlando and Pete Tabor following in pursuit. With unpredictable race surface conditions and a tight, short track it was anyone’s chance to take home the prize. And, Pete Tabor pulled out his first ever Race of the Rockies Open class win! Christman took 2nd, but clinched the overall championship, and Schram took 3rd.

Christman, who has been chasing this title since 2010, talked a little about the ups and downs of the last two years. “I tried to win in 2010 but my bike blew up in Round 2, so that ended that. Then in 2011, parts weren’t available for my Kawasaki yet, making it hard to be competitive. Buying the M4/GEICO bike this year was me trying to use a good platform to chase the Number 1 plate.”

With hard training and a strict diet, Christman has seen the payoff for all of his efforts; also winning Formula 40 this weekend. Christman would like to thank his sponsors: G-Force Powersports, Roadrace Factory, Dunlop, Rex Coulthard, STM Suspension (Dave Rose), Tri City Cycle, Bell Powersports, and King GMC, with a special shout out to Danny “Ninja Tech” Anderson for all of his help with the bike. Congratulations on a fantastic season Rob!

Other notable championship finishes included Shannon Moham claiming eight overall class championships! With wins in ROR GTU, Heavyweight Superbike, Heavyweight Endurance, Lightweight Endurance, Supertwins GTU, Lightweight GTU, and Modern Vintage GTU, Shannon is now the 4-time winner of the Overall Clubman Champion, an award his has won since its inception. Shannon credits the unwavering support of his wife, Segren, his two daughters Denver and Dakota, his family, his sponsors, his friends and the club for allowing him to be successful and do what he loves to do- race! Shannon would also like to thank his sponsors: Dunlop, Race Tech, Woodcraft, Vortex, FMF exhaust, Galfer, Silkolene, K&N, Renegade Fuel, GPR Stabilizers, Lockhart Phillips, Pit Bull, Bazaaz Performance, Motonation, Rocky Mountain Photo, World Wide Bearings, Ogio, Millennium Technologies, Carrilo/CP Pistons, Rex at Tri City Cycle, Vickery Motorsports, Nordic Nursing, Team Papajohns, teammate Nick Lenski of D&N Racing, Blood Nickel leathers, and last but not least by Mom. Congratulations to Shannon on an amazing season as well.

There were tight battles in most classes this past weekend with over half of the classes without a clear champion. The Production classes were especially fun and exciting with Jason Madama fighting head to head with President Tony Baker, and Jeremy Widmann on his Honda CBR500R. But it’s also fun to watch him on his Honda RS125 in Lightweight Grand Prix, Modern Vintage GTU, and the Colorado Class against some fierce competition like Chris Weed, Ray Gaimara, and Rick Grosse.
This final round of the 2013 season also had one of the biggest and best attended Corner Worker Appreciation events in recent years. In a packed room full of racers, friends, families, spectators, and fans, the MRA does, arguably, what it does best; say thank you. As racers, we all know the importance of the men and women who make it possible for us to do some pretty crazy things on some fast bikes. So, for a most memorable season, thank you to all who have helped the MRA this year. We are proud to have put on a fantastic fortieth race season and here’s to many more epic battles in race seasons to come.

The MRA is dedicated to promoting safe and competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and the surrounding area. For more information, go to www.mra-racing.org or check us out on Facebook at www.mra-racing.org

MRA road racer Shannon Moham wrapped up his incredibly successful 2013 season in Fountain, CO at PPIR, with eight Class Championships. The weather was less than ideal, with an intense rain downpour that caused delays and a wet track on Sunday’s big race day. This, however, did not stop Moham from dominating the racetrack again this year! Moham had quite an impressive season, finishing 53 of 57 races started on the podium—-41 of those being first place wins! Moham holds seven track records from this season alone.

Number 945, also known as “Marathon Man”, just couldn’t be stopped again this year. Racing 8-10 races each weekend between his R6 and SV650, he is recognized for dominating the “Clubman” Championship, a championship based on most overall points in the season. Moham won the premier Race of the Rockies ROR GTU Championship for the second year in a row. The dedicated road racer also brought home Class Championships in Heavyweight Endurance, Lightweight Endurance, Modern Vintage GTU, Supertwins GTU, Lightweight GP and Heavyweight Superbike.

Shannon Moham has been road racing for over a decade on tracks all over the United States. He has served on the MRA board of directors for three years and is dedicated to making the club the best it can possibly be. At the track, you will always find him working or tinkering on his bikes or someone else’s, alongside his wife and crew chief Segren, and his two children Denver, four, and Dakota, one. He is forever willing to help fellow racers with their needs or concerns. Their program is a team effort and Moham states, “My road racing success wouldn’t be possible without the constant support and efforts that my wife and family put forth all year long.”

Moham also notes his incredible sponsors as being key to his podium finishes race weekend after race weekend. He repeatedly states, “Without my sponsors, none of this would be a reality. My sponsors are amazing and their support is what makes me finish on the podium over and over again. Eight Championships doesn’t just happen. Dunlop produces a remarkable tire that keeps going and going, and I couldn’t ask for a better sponsor. Cori Maynard, Steve Brubaker and Steve Mills have provided me with a tire that has never failed and has been instrumental in all of my race wins.”

Moham also goes on to state that, “Race Tech and Sydney Ruge deliver the absolute top of the line race suspension. I’ve never been so in tune with my motorcycles, and I owe that 100% to Race Tech.”

In conclusion, Moham states, “I am extremely pleased with my season this year, and I truly cannot wait to see what is in the cards for next year! Thank you to everyone that is a part of my amazing team, and to those of you who put forth so much effort to make my race season the success that it is. I am grateful.”

Keep your eye out for this guy next year…you never know what he’ll have up his sleeve!